Prayers of the Faithless
by Candra 'wolfgal97
Summary: "I can't stop you. It's not my place. I can't argue with you, because I'm not God and maybe he really DID send you on a mission. And I can't tell you I disagree with what you're doing because if you believe so strongly in it, who am I to tell you you're wrong? But I can't lose you, either. I can't do it. So promise me this. Promise me you'll come home."
1. People at Walmart

_A/N: __So... yeah. I went and did the thing I swore I'd never do. I... wrote an OC Boondock Saints story. Yeah. I did that. But here's the deal, guys. Whether you love it or hate it, and if you liked my other stuff, I doubt you'll hate it, this is... my last Boondock Saint story I'll be doing. I'm very sad about this but... I'm running out of ideas and I've... actually been offered recently to do some of my own original stuff. And... I think I'm going to try it. Anyways, this is my last shindig on here. I hope its worth a read._

_Full Teaser:__ "I can't stop you. It's not my place. I can't argue with you, because I'm not God and maybe he really DID send you on a mission. And I can't tell you I disagree with what you're doing because if you believe so strongly in it, who am I to tell you you're wrong? But I can't lose you, either. I can't do it. So promise me this. Promise me you'll come home."_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alana Dyer and any other OC's seen._

* * *

**Prayers of the Faithless**

**_People at Walmart_**

**Candra Hastings**

You really can meet the most interesting people at Walmart.

Alana pushed her cart down the long, almost barren aisle. A snow storm was supposed to be coming and people were stocking up. Her sharp grey eyes roamed the empty shelves. It looked like they'd been picked clean by the people who'd managed to get there before her. She sighed as she continued down the way, looking for anything that sounded edible.

She had the very last of the basics. Milk, squished bread, some dented cans of soup. She even was lucky enough to grab the last few boxes of T.V. dinners. Now, she just hoped that her lucky stars pulled through to spare her a can of cocoa powder. Because who get's snowed in with no cocoa?

Pushing her cart through the store, she came to where the cocoa would be. Someone in heaven must've been smiling down on her because there on the shelf was the very last can of cocoa mix.

Alana smirked at her good luck. Her fingers had just brushed the can when they bumped into a stranger's tattooed fingers. She retracted her hand, eyes moving from the word inked into the pointer finger, up the arm and to the icy blue eyes that stared back at her.

"M'sorry," the owner of the eyes said in a beautiful, rich Irish accent. "Go ahead."

Alana shook her head, long golden brown curls bouncing with the movement. "No, it's yours."

The young man smiled softly at her. "Really, I insist yah take it. I'd just as soon go an' see if they have any Guinness left."

_Oh, yeah. Irish alright._

Before Alana could respond, someone came from around the corner. He was tan with spiked blond hair and he was also obviously Irish. "C'mon, Murph! How long does it take ta' get your stupid cocoa?" the blond grumbled to the first man.

_Murph_, the one with darker, shaggier hair shot the blond a dirty look. "I was busy makin' a new friend while yah had your big nose in the movie section!"

Alana had to suppress a grin at the boyish attitudes the young men held for each other. The blond man spotted her and came to the other's side. "Well, Murphy, don't be an ijit! Introduce me," he said, patting the other man affectionately on the back.

"I would if I knew her name!" Murphy snapped back playfully at the blond.

Alana barely could hold back a giggle at seeing these two good looking Irishmen act like children. "My name's Alana," she interrupted them, offering her hand first to Murphy and then to the blond. Both had warm tattooed hands, latin on their trigger fingers.

"Connor. Nice ta' meet yah," the blond grinned. "Sorry if my twin here was givin' yah a hard time."

Alana stifled a laugh from the half-hearted glare that Murphy had trained on Connor. She came to the darker brother's defense. "No, not at all! He's been a perfect gentlemen."

Connor smacked his brother on the back. "Well that's a first, innit?"

"Oh, just shut your hole, Connor. She doesn't wanna hear yah tellin' stories," Murphy shot back.

"Did you say twin? You guys are twins?" Alana asked curiously. It sure would explain the familiarity the two shared.

"Yes, ma'am, we are," Murphy responded to her before Connor could get a word in.

"Fraternal, but twins," Connor added.

"That's so cool!" Alana said in awe. "I've never met twins before." _Especially cute Irish ones._

"We're honored," Connor teased, making a slight bob of his head in a mock bow.

Alana felt the conversation running dry, much to her dismay. Had it just been Murphy or even just Connor alone, she'd have been bolder in conversation. But the twins together were a bit intimidating. They radiated energy that only the two shared.

"Crazy storm, huh?" Alana asked. She mentally face-palmed. _Really? The weather?_

"Aye, that it is," Connor agreed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black peacoat. She took notice that he and Murphy wore matching outfits. _Yep. They're twins._

"Hope yah don't have far ta' go," Murphy said. "It's already startin' ta' snow pretty good out there."

Alana frowned. "Really? It wasn't supposed to start for another hour."

"It was comin' down hard when we came in about ten minutes ago," Murphy informed her.

Alana sighed. She wanted to keep talking to Connor and Murphy. They were very nice and it was funny watching them interact. But still, she had to make it home before the roads got too rough. "I'm sorry, but I have to go," she apologized. "It was nice meeting you two." She spared and extra smile for Murphy. "Thank you for the cocoa."

"Any time!" Murphy called after her.

"Be safe, lass!" Connor added.

Alana took her purchases to the front of the store. She went through the self checkout line to save some time before heading out to her car. The twins had been right. It had really snowed. She had to wade through an inch or two of snow before she actually made it to the quant vehicle.

The drive home took longer than normal because Alana drove slowly, cautious of the slick ice on the roads. She felt her car slide a few times, but she stayed calm and focused, allowing her to reach her driveway.

A driveway that had a sickly familiar car parked in it.

Alana pulled in, half considering leaving. She would've had the roads been in better condition. But as of now, they weren't safe to drive. So she decided to try and make it inside before he could get a chance to stop her.

She grabbed her bags in one hand, preparing to make the dash to the door. She clutched her keys in the other when she saw his car door start to open.

Without another thought, she ran. Ran like the devil was chasing her.

She huffed in the cold air, sucking it into her lungs, making them ache with exertion as she sprinted. She could hear him right behind her, slipping in the snow as he called her name. She blocked the sound out, only focusing on unlocking the door.

Alana had never been as relieved as she was to spin around and lock the door in his face behind her. She breathed, trying to calm her racing heart as he pounded on her door.

"Alana! Alana, baby, come on! Let me in!" his deep voice commanded her.

"Go away, Jase! I'll call the cops if you don't get out of here!" she yelled back through the door. Her heart was in her throat, choking her as she dared to defy him.

"Baby," he called, his tone waning of patience.

"Go away! Now!" she screamed back. Because there was no way he was ever going to touch her again.

About ten minutes later, he did go. Still, Alana sat, back pressed against the door, as if barricading herself. She tried her best to hold in the tears.

She rubbed her eyes, telling herself not to cry as she got to her feet. She sniffed a little, trying to compose herself as she went to her tiny kitchen and put away her groceries.

Alana took out a T.V. dinner and put it in the microwave before pulling out the cocoa mix. The memory of the friendly brothers pulled a smiled at the corner of her lips, even though she felt a little sad at the idea that she'd probably never see them again. Boston was a big city.

The microwave dinged. Her dinner was ready. Alana took her food and steaming mug and sunk down into her comfortable recliner.

She set the tray and mug on her coffee table as she hunted her remote. She found it hiding in the cushions of her couch. Alana reclaimed her spot in her chair and her food before clicking on her T.V.

"And here in South Boston, we've had yet another murder by the men who've been dubbed The Saints."

Alana considered turning the channel and finding something else to watch. She didn't really like to watch the news anymore. Recently, it had all become depressing, broadcasts about murders and thefts and other horrible things. But for some reason, she was interested in this story. She'd heard of these men called The Saints before. For some reason, they didn't bother her nearly as much as the other news did.

Maybe it's because they kill killers. Maybe it's because of them, people like Jase aren't walking around anymore hurting people. Maybe it was a lot of things. Point being, The Saints of South Boston didn't bother Alana Dyer. And while she didn't mind them, she wasn't about to go out and buy a 'Boston Loves the Saints!' t-shirt, either.

Instead, she would sit in her locked house, watching That 70's Show, eating microwaved turkey and sipping on a cup of hot cocoa.


	2. Heroes of the Convenience Store

_Author's Note__: I know... It's been a while. Bear with me. I'm taking three AP classes as a Junior and the workload is nuts. And... this is... Romance? I think it's Romance. Mmkay, I'll shut up now. Have fun._

* * *

**Prayers of the Faithless**

_**Heroes of the Convenience Store**_

Believe it or not, there's still some good people out there. Very few, but some.

Alana hated having to work two jobs. Two crappy jobs she worked at each week. Sometimes both in one day. She'd just moved to Boston a little over a month ago and nothing more solid had come up as of yet. So Alana Dyre was stuck running a convenience store in the mornings and being a waitress at night when she's rather be doing anything else.

Alana went to her car a few mornings after the snow storm. The mounds of ice and snow had melted from the streets, leaving them soaked in puddles of water. "I don't wanna go," Alana mumbled to herself as she started her car. It was a short drive there to her first job, the one she'd only been working a week, minus the snow days it had been closed. It was a tiny store, one that consisted of a counter, drink fountain and a bathroom.

Alana parked in the lot behind the back of the store. She hated the lot because a bar was located just next to it, across the street. Some place called McGinty's. She would've parked somewhere else, but there was no space for her. Employees were forbidden to park in the main lot, so that left the creepy one. Luckily, all her shifts had been mornings so far, so she hadn't really been around the bar while it was active.

Alana went in through the back door, making her way to the main store. Katie was there at the register, about to get off her shift as soon as Alana took over for her. Katie Hays, a plump thirty-something year old woman. Her shiny blond hair was always styled immaculately and her fingernails were always neatly filed, always painted bright colors.

"Morning, Kaite," Alana greeted. She wasn't really friends with the older woman, but Katie had always been pleasant to her. This was their routine. Exchange a few pleasantries before going separate ways.

"Good morning," Katie replied cheerfully. "Bet you're missing all that snow. I know _I_ am," she teased.

Alana rolled her eyes good-naturedly. A smirk played on her lips. "Sure am. I am _not_ a morning person."

Katie snorted as she pulled out her car keys from her pocket. "Neither am I."

"Could've fooled me. You're always nice," Alana replied. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun as she traded places behind the counter with Katie.

Katie shrugged as she headed for the back door. "Part of the job. Bye, Alana!" she called over her shoulder as she left out the back way.

"See you later!" Alana hollered back. She looked around the empty store. Then she eyed the clock on the wall. 7:03 a.m. Six hours to go. She sighed, leaning back in her chair, getting comfortable for her day. It was going to be a boring one, as usual.

A few people came in throughout the next few hours. Alana rang some out after they made minor purchases like Little Debbie's for the road or coffees to wake up for the morning. Others just wanted to use the bathroom. It was around 11:18 when trouble walked in.

He was a biker. She could hear his motorcycle pull in, the loud roar of the engine disturbing the quiet of the late morning hour. He parked it and came in, heading immediately to the register.

The man walked with a swagger, heavy boots thudding loudly with each step he look, demanding her attention. His pale green eyes leered at Alana from under long, greasy black hair. He let his fingerless gloved hands rest on the counter top.

Alana could smell the liquor on his breath.

"How can I help you?" she asked as she took a step back, a little intimidated by his presence. She didn't like the way he was looking at her, those intense eyes under dark eyebrows. The look in them was that of a predator.

"I'll take a pack of Marlboros," he said in a low, raspy voice. Alana nodded in response. She turned as quickly as she could, wanting to get the man away from her as soon as possible. The fact that his eyes were latched to her every move wasn't helping at all.

She turned back to him and rang up his purchases. "Anything else?" her tone was short. Professional.

The man gave her a nasty lopsided grin, thin lips pulled back, exposing grimy yellow teeth. "I'll take your phone number, sugar. You can just hand it over with my smokes."

Alana took the money from his hand as fast as she could. "No, thank you. That's against policy," she lied, needing an excuse.

He grabbed at her wrist when she returned his change. His pale fingers locked around her, unwilling to let go. She tried to yank free of his iron grip, but she couldn't. "Let go of me," she demanded.

"When you give me your number," he replied, his face very close to hers.

"Get the hell away from her," a voice commanded from behind the man. Alana and the biker both turned in the direction of the person who spoke. Relief flooded Alana when she recognized the twin brothers from Walmart. Both wore matching expressions of anger and determination.

The biker could see the challenge in their icy blue eyes. Slowly, he released Alana's wrists. He snatched his cigarettes and snuck out past the brothers, who glared after him as he slinked out of the store. They turned their attention to Alana as he drove off.

"Are yah alright, lass?" the darker one asked, his eyes kind, holding a gleam of worry. Alana recognized him as being the one who'd spoken.

"Yes, I'm fine," she assured them. "Thanks to you two."

"You're from the store the other day, aren't yah?" the blond asked. "Alana, right?"

She nodded, taking a step closer to the register. She was much more comfortable around the brothers than the biker. "And you're Connor and Murphy," she remembered, pointing to the respective twin.

The brothers smiled at her, but it was strained, as if they were still on edge from the confrontation. Alana felt it was up to her to ease the tension in the air. "What did you two come in for?" she asked, hoping to get some form of response that could change the mood.

"Oh, uh, we were comin' in for a pack of smokes. Con and I just had our last ones this mornin'," Murphy answered. She could see their posture's relax as the conversation started up.

Alana smiled brightly at them. "What kind would you like?" she asked, moving to the rack of cigarettes.

"Two of whatever's cheapest," Connor replied. "We're not too picky."

Alana grabbed the requested ones and moved to the register again. "Do you guys usually come here?"

"Aye, we do. It's close to where we live," Murphy informed her.

"But we usually come at night," Connor added as he stepped up to pay.

Alana smiled. "Well, I guess it's good for me that you came in early."

"Aye, it is," Murphy agreed with a smile as Connor nodded along with him.

Alana rang out the cigarettes and ignored Connor's outstretched hand that wielded a few crinkly bills. Instead, her eyes focused on her own hands as she pulled out her wallet from her back pocket. She quickly removed the cash needed to pay for the cigarettes and put it in the register.

Connor gaped at her actions, Murphy also stared with wide eyes. "Yah didn't have to do that..."

She shrugged and handed the packs over. "Don't worry about it. I owed you guys for the save today. My heroes."

Connor snorted as he passed Murphy one of the packs before stuffing his own into his black pea coat pocket. "Yeah, regular ol' Batman and Robin, eh?"

Murphy smirked as he nudged Connor's shoulder. "Yah _do_ make a pretty good Robin, Con."

Connor spun playfully to smack his brother sharply on the back of the head. "Oh, yah just shut your hole!" he snapped.

Murphy grumbled an _ow_ while rubbing the back of his head as he glared at his brother. His hand mussed his dark, messy hair. The childish expression on his face had Alana struggling to hold back a fit of giggles.

Both of them smiled sheepishly for their antics. Murphy blushed and Connor suddenly found the ancient, dirty floor tires to be very interesting. "Sorry," the darker twin apologized, "My brother's a bit immature. Sometimes, I happen to stoop to his level." Murphy jumped a little when Connor kicked him in the shin.

Alana just grinned. "It's fine. I'm glad I had something funny happen to get me through the day."

"Do yah work here every mornin'?" Connor inquired.

Alana nodded as she leaned on her elbows against the counter top. "Most mornings. And then I work at the Steak and Shake down the way some nights. I do tonight."

Murphy cocked his head, looking a bit like a curious puppy. "You're workin' two jobs?"

"Yeah. I just moved here to Boston so I took whatever I could get so short notice."

"Where'd yah move from?" Connor raised an eyebrow at her.

"Georgia. I just... needed to get away from there." She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't... even want to remember. It's why she'd left, so she'd never have to see the faces of pity. She didn't want it. She didn't deserve it... It had all been her fault...

The brother's sensed the sad note to her tone. They didn't want to pressure her. Murphy changed the subject. "So, how are yah likin' Boston? Bet yah've got some friends, yeah?"

Alana shrugged. "Not really... I mean, there was this guy... but that ended badly."

"He must'a been an idjit, then," Connor concluded.

"He was," Alana agreed with a shy smiled. She was about comment further when another customer came in.

The twins noticed they'd been keeping her. Connor took the lead to bow out. "Well, thank yah for the smokes, lass. Murph and I better be goin', though."

"Right," she agreed. "And thank _you_ guys. Really. I appreciate it."

They headed for the door, Murphy waving over his shoulder at her. "Anytime! See yah, Alana!"

"Bye, Murphy! Connor! See you, soon!"

At least, she hoped she did. They were nice guys, all charming with their Irish accents and childish grins. But she'd have to be careful. She could see herself becoming too attached to them. And after _him_, that was the last thing she needed.


	3. Stalkers at Steak and Shake

**Prayers of the Faithless  
**

**_Stalkers at Steak and Shake_**

There's two kinds of stalkers. There's the ones you think are cute, and then there's the creepy ones who you wish would go die in a hole before your life becomes that movie, _Misery_.

Alana slapped her screaming alarm clock off of her nightstand. It was 3:00 p.m. Alana had come home for an hour of sleep before heading out to her next job. Still, it felt like it hadn't done any good as she rolled out of bed. She had a few minutes to make herself look presentable before she headed out.

She stumbled to her bathroom, groaning when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, and it was clear that she needed to go over her makeup again. Glaring at herself, she ran a brush through her wild tangle of hair, smoothing the knots into chocolate waves. She managed to tame it long enough to wrestle the long strands into a braid.

When that was done, the put on a fresh layer of makeup. She stuck to innocent colors and doing the bare minimum to accentuate her features. A fresh layer of eyeliner and blush was about it. She even put on a pale pink lip gloss. Feeling somewhat less like a zombie, she went back to her room to pull on her uniform.

Alana grabbed her phone from her bed where it was plugged in. It wasn't fully charged, but it was good enough. She almost never used it anyways. No one ever called or texted her. Not after she cut ties in Georgia and had come to Boston, where she knew almost no one. Well, not after she'd blocked _his_ number. And he could still call the land line...

She shoved it into her pocket and grabbed her keys from the nightstand. Locking her door behind her, she made it to her car. It was a short drive to her job. Steak and Shake was a good place with decent pay. When combined with tips she usually got, she didn't really need to work at the convenience store anymore. She'd considered quitting, but now she knew the twins go there and...

Alana clocked in. It was a busy night and she didn't notice time pass by until it was seven. One more hour and she'd be home free._ I can manage that._ At least, that's what she thought before _they_ walked in.

She didn't notice them at first until she'd gone to her next table. Her eyes were trained on her menus. "Hello, I'm Alana and will b-" She cut off as her jaw almost dropped. The twins were in her booth.

_What the hell are_ they_ doing here?_

They both turned to her and grinned up at her. "Well, hello, Alana," Connor said mischievously.

"Uh, hi?"

The twins laughed at her dumbstruck response. "Well, that was eloquent," Murphy snickered, leaning back in the booth.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Tryin' ta get somethin' to eat, but we can't seem to get a menu," Connor replied with a smirk.

Alana immediately passed out two menus in response as she suppressed at smile. "Ha. Very cute," she said dryly. She grew serious. "Now, really, guys, why are you here?"

"We just wanted to make sure yah didn't have any nasty micks givin' yah any problems," Murphy supplied, alluding to earlier that morning.

Alana couldn't stop her smile. "Nope. No trouble tonight. Well... there _are_ some guys following me... Irish twin stalkers who think they're funny."

Murphy and Connor both busted out laughing. Murphy managed to catch his breath first. "Ahh... I don't think yah need to worry about those two idjits."

"Aye," Connor agreed. "Yah have nothin' to worry about, lass."

Alana leaned back on her heels, pulling out her notepad. "Hmm. Well. What would the stalkers like to drink?" she asked playfully She secretly was happy they'd checked in on her. It was nice someone cared. Two someones. Two _cute_ someones.

"Two chocolate milkshakes," Connor ordered. "And another menu, please."

She handed one over. "Meeting someone?"

"Just waitin' for our favorite waitress to get off of work so she can join us for dinner," Murphy said with a gleam in his icy blue eyes.

Alana blinked. "Are you guys asking me to dinner?"

"Do yah think we know many waitresses?" Connor asked playfully.

"No? Uh... I get off work in..." glanced at the clock on the wall, "twenty minutes. If you want to wait..."

Murphy smiled as he flipped through his menu, looking for something that sounded good. "That's fine by us," he said with a shrug.

"We're in no hurry," Connor added as he too began to flip through his.

Alana took their orders when they'd picked what they wanted and placed them with the kitchen, adding her own. Her mind was somewhere else as she finished he shift. What was going on? Did these two guys really care enough to seek her out after this morning? Alana was surprised, but liked the idea of having two new friends.

Her twenty minutes now seemed to creep by, but finally, she was able to clock out. She went back to their booth with their food. Murphy was first to move over to make room for Alana to sit, so she slid into the bench next to him. Connor pouted, but used the time to snatch the ketchup before Murphy could snag it. In retaliation, Murphy tossed a french fry at his brother, hitting Connor on the nose.

Connor grinned. "Murph! Mind your manners!" he chided teasingly as he poured himself a glob of ketchup.

Murphy grumbled as he yanked the bottle from Connor's hands. He added a little to his own plate and offered the ketchup to Alana. She took it with a soft, "Thank you."

Dinner mover on smoothly, the twins sometimes making small talk. While they chatted, Alana took the time to study them, taking in the tattoos that she'd first noticed that night in Walmart. Her eyes were drawn to their fingers. It was easier to view Connor's discretely, as he was sitting across from her.

It was a Latin word. Similar in style to Murphy's, which was something called Aequitas. Connor's on the other hand, was spelled Veritas. Alana made a mental note to google what the words meant. Her eyes moved up to the celtic crosses on their forearms. Then, up further to the figure on their necks. The Madonna? Catholic Irish. It would make sense.

Still, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she'd spotted another one on Murphy's arm, hiding just under his shirt sleeve. She couldn't make out what it was, though. And of course, there was the blue inked star on Murphy's right hand. It was closest to her, just between his thumb and pointer finger, hovering over that Aequitas.

Alana couldn't help but wonder what all the ink meant to the brothers, having no tattoos herself. Maybe one day she'd be able to ask about them. For now, she popped a french fry in her mouth and enjoyed her dinner and her company.

"So the rest o' your day went alright, Alana?" Murphy asked, drawing her into their conversation.

She nodded, a hand over her mouth as she swallowed the food in her mouth. "It was fine after that whole mess this morning," she smiled happily. "Two very nice guys made my day."

Connor made a sound of mock shock. "Two _more_ guys other than that ijit this mornin'? Yah must be a little trouble magnet."

Alana blushed furiously. He had no idea... "I don't know about _that_ but maybe I'm just having a lucky streak?"

Murphy smiled at her blush. He'd save her some face and change the topic. "Well, how are yah settlin' in here in Boston? Yah said yah haven't been in town too long."

Alana nodded as she sipped on her coke. Georgia she wasn't willing to talk about. Not yet and maybe not ever. But Boston... She could manage some of Boston. "Mostly. I'm not really used to big cities like this, but I'm liking it for the most part."

"And you're all alone up here?" Connor quizzed, concern obvious. "No friends or family?"

"Yeah,"Alana admitted. "There was someone... a guy... but that's over."

The twins could tel that the guy wasn't a good topic of conversation. Murphy elbowed her in a friendly way. "Well, now yah have two new friends, aye, Con?"

"That yah do," Connor agreed with his brother.

Alana blushed and bowed her head. She wasn't used to positive attention. She hated that there was a nagging voice in her head asking how long it would be before the twins figured out she was messed up and would leave.

It was then that the staff on duty started to shut down the restaurant. Alana knew that meant it was around eleven. The three had already finished their plates and had just been conversing. Alana felt the close to the night coming. She pulled out her wallet to pay for her meal. A hand closed over hers, stopping her. Aequitas.

"We've got it," Murphy said with a reassuring smile. "Yah bought us our smokes, so let us buy yah dinner."

His hand was warm. They were a bit rough from wear and hard work, but they brought a surprising amount of comfort to her. Alana couldn't remember when she had last felt so at ease. And she found that she couldn't deny him with those hands and those honest blue eyes. She nodded and put away her wallet. "Thank you. You guys didn't have to do that."

Connor shrugged. "Aye, but we wanna."

"Well, thank you," Alana said again as she stood. The twins followed suit.

"Do yah need a ride, or did yah drive here?" Connor asked politely.

"I drove, but thanks," she replied.

"I'll walk yah to your car," Murphy offered, moving to her side."Boston can be a bit rough at night."

Alana blushed at the kind gesture. She hadn't ever had someone be so kind to her. She couldn't help but grow excited when Murphy took her arm in a gentle hold, like something out of a movie. He spoke to Connor once more as he guided her to the door, holding it open for her. "Get the head goin', Con. I'll be right there."

With that, they walked around the back of the building to where employee parking was. Alana walked to her car, but didn't get in. Instead, she stayed and spoke to Murphy. "Thank you. You and your brother. You guys made my night," she admitted.

Murphy shoved his hands into the deep pockets of his black pea-coat, looking very much like a bashful little boy as he toed a rock with his boot. "Maybe you'd like to hang out with us again," he suggested shyly. "Maybe this Friday?"

Alana was a bit surprised. He wanted to see her again so soon? She couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Uh, yeah. That sounds like it would be fun. Where at?"

Murphy split a dazzling smile when she agreed to the plans. "Yah know the bar behind the store yah work at? Connor and I go there all the time."

Alana backtracked in her mind. _Okay, so maybe the bar wasn't _that_ bad..._ She blushed as she admitted quietly, "I'm not much of a drinker..."

He laughed at her bashful tone. "That's okay. Yah don't have to drink anythin' hard. We can get yah a coke or somethin'. Doc and the boys will love yah. They're all good guys."

Alana laughed, feeling more at ease with the idea. She surprisingly trusted these two twins... "I can manage coke. Uhh... Do you have a number I can reach you at?"

Murphy nodded. She got out her phone and typed in his and Connor's numbers just in case. She still couldn't believe as she hit _enter_ for a new contact that she'd gotten two nice guys' numbers. Two cute, Irish guys' numbers.

Murphy opened her door for her. He let her slide into her car before closing it for her. Alana pulled out, not leaving the parking lot until Murphy had made it back safely to his car to Connor. She waved to both of them as she drove off, a happy grin on her face. It stayed there all the way home.

And it fell when she saw what was on her doorstep.

Alana made the dash from her car to her door in the cold. She grabbed the package off her step and rushed in, locking the door behind her. She inspected the package more closely, heart pounding as she did so.

It was a heart. One of those kinds that had mixed chocolates inside it. The kind guys get their girlfriends on Valentines Day. It was deep red with frills and lace decorating it. It was also heavy with sweets. There was no note on it, but Alana knew without a doubt that it was from _him_.

Alana wanted nothing to do with him. She just wanted him to leave her alone. She didn't want want to be involved with anything he was doing. She just wanted to be free of him and her past to move on with her life.

Alana threw her heart in the trash and went to bed.


End file.
